


Field of Dreams

by ismellitblue



Category: Queen Sugar (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bordelon family drama, Disability, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Physical Disability, Racism, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:55:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ismellitblue/pseuds/ismellitblue
Summary: Micah's encounter with the police officer has more tragic consequences.
Relationships: Blue Bordelon & Charley Bordelon West, Bordelon siblings, Charley Bordelon West & Micah West, Davis West & Micah West, Nova Bordelon & Micah West, Ralph Angel Bordelon/Darla, Violet "Vi" Bordelon/Hollywood Desonier
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Queen Sugar.

Micah saw the police officer, and he saw the gun pointed at him, but his brain couldn’t compute.Why was the barrel pointed at him?All he’d done was pull over when asked to, was that wrong?

“Out of the car boy,”He registered the command but his limbs refused to obey, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his fingers hurt.

The cop was still pointing the gun at him.

 _Why_?

There was a loud pop and Micah watched in confusion as the officer backed off,looking around with wide eyes before running towards his cruiser.

Why was he running away?

He fell forward on the wheel, not quite realizing it until the horn started blarring.One long endless sound that burrowed into his eardrums.He tried to get up,to move his head away, but moving was so difficult that he decided to just stay there.

He looked down on himself,noticing for the first time that his jeans were red…how strange… he was sure he hadn’t worn red jeans that day.

The red on his jeans had somehow gotten onto his hands,and he blinked at them,wondering why the red was warm.

Oh,… _blood_.

He’d been shot.

The endless droning of the car continued, but it barely registered now, he was too busy watching his blood spread some more,dripping onto his feet,the drip-drip of it shadowed by the horn’s noise.He had a fleeting thought,wondering why he could feel the warmth of his blood with his hands, but couldn’t feel it on his legs.

The thought lasted only a few seconds,getting away from him like all the others.Leaving him staring at the endless red and trying to remember why it was bad.

He fell asleep before he could figure it out.


	2. Chapter 2

Charley sat in an uncomfortable hospital chair,watching her son sleep.

She’d been doing so for three days, she was tired and she was scared, but every time she closed her eyes, it got even worse.

Reaching out,she held his hand in hers,reassuring herself that he was still there,she hadn’t lost him.

“How’s he doing?”She hadn’t even heard Ra come in, but the weight of his hand on her shoulder was a welcome comfort.

“Still the same,”She wiped a few stray tears, before standing and turning to face him.

“Thank you for earlier,”He nodded and she drew him in to a hug.

Since Davis had come,he’d been pushing to have Micah moved to a different facility,so worried about getting him the best treatment, it wasn’t registering for him that if they moved Micah in the state he was in,he wouldn’t make it long enough to reach the best.

When he’d become too much Ra had physically removed him from the room.Giving Charley some space.

“Where’s Nova?”She asked stepping back and returning to Micah’s side.

“She’s putting out fires, her article got rid of most of the vultures,but some of the press are still here,”Charley once again clutched Micah’s hand.For most of her life, she’d weathered storms alone, and to be honest, she’d expected to be going through this situation on her own too.

But her siblings had come through, it was raining cats and dogs for her,and they were right beside her.She’d always had their backs, no matter how many fights they had, and realizing that they had hers too,nearly broke her,but she’d held it together-Micah needed her.

***

“You should get some sleep Charley.The boy’s strong, he ain’t going nowhere,”The doctors had already said as much,but hearing her own blood say it made it more concrete.

“I will, give Blue a kiss goodnight for me, and a hug from Micah,”

“Will do,take care Charley,”He left after one more squeeze to her shoulder, and she resumed her vigil,trying and failing to not let what the doctors had said haunt her.

Micah’s hand twitched and she startled, but it went still again without him showing signs of waking and she resumed her watch.

She needed him to wake up,but at the same time she wanted him to stay asleep.Right now the only thing protecting him from the harshness of reality was dreamland.

What was the etiquette for telling a teenager he’d probably never walk again,or feel anything from his bellybutton down?Did such things even come with a manual?

She needed facts,figures, something solid,but somehow all the countless material she’d read through over the past few days wasn’t enough.

This wasn’t some abstract patient or a business deal, _this_ _was_ _her_ _son_.What was she going to tell him?  
 _How was she going to tell him?_ The door opened just then,saving her mind from a tailspin, and Nova let herself in.There was a touch of lips to Charley’s forehead, a gentle caress over Micah’s face and then her older sister took the seat on the other side of the bed, grabbing his other hand.

No words were spoken, but the younger Bordelon sister felt her soul lift.

She-no- _They_ , would get through this.

***

Five days later, she woke up from a cat nap to a pair of terrified brown eyes watching her.And this time, unlike all the other times he’d woken up… _Micah was aware_.

“Hey, hey, _shh_ , it’s okay,I’m here,”His hand wrapped around hers, a weak grip, and she drew soothing circles over the top of it.His other hand slowly made its way to his chest and she gently grabbed it before he could pull out the tube that was helping him breathe.

“Don’t do that-it’s helping,”He stopped his weak stuggles, his gaze falling on her again,scared but trusting.

“There’s been-There was-uhm,an accident,”She struggled to keep her tone light and even at the thought of the coward of a man who’d shot an unarmed boy“You’re in the hospital,”

He still looked scared,so she started humming to him.She hadn’t done that since he was ten, a little surprised that it still worked like a charm,he was out in a matter of minutes,and she pressed the call button for the nurse.

***

When they finally told him,the family was surrounding him in a tight circle.Like they were all hoping to keep the bad away by standing close together.

“How much rehab will I have to do before I can walk again?”He asked as he stared up the ceiling,unable to stomach the identical looks of sorrow from the Bordelon family.

“Micah-you-its…”His mom’s voice tapered off,and he felt her hand grab his shoulder in a bruising grip.

In the end it was aunt Vi who answered“Micah,honey, this is a complete spinal injury-there’s no chance of you ever walking again,”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Queen Sugar.

The moment she got out of her car, Nova was swallowed by a sea of people, lights flashing everywhere. A multitude of questions being thrown her way. She ignored them all and made her way into the rehab facility, head held high, her steps never faltering.

Ralph-Angel called them vultures. But to Nova,that wasn’t quite accurate, she was one of them so she knew best. Journalists were more like wild fire, or maybe even swarming locusts.

They chased every lead, every story, whittling it down until there was nothing left. A quality Nova had often thought of as a positive in her line of work. But ever since the attack on her nephew, Nova’s belief had been shaken.

Journalists were there to expose truth. But how could people be so happy, so relentless, in exposing a truth that the owner hadn’t even come to terms with.

*** 

_Everyone_ , wanted the exclusive on Micah West, son of disgraced Basketball star, gunned down by police.

“Afternoon, Miss Bordelon”She nodded to one of the nurses, barely paying them any mind as she walked. The corridors having become so familiar she didn’t have to look as she walked. Her mind occupied by the dark clouds hanging over her family.

Nova’d put out a story, trying to put out fires, but they still kept coming. Wanting more and more from a child whose world had just been torn apart. And to make it worse, most of the papers weren’t even writing about _him_ , they were trying to justify what had happened. Their articles spouting things like:

_His father facing sexual assualt charges._

_His uncle having a criminal record._

_His uncle’s girlfriend being a recovering drug addict._

_They’d even brought up the disciplinary hearing at his old school._ Nevermind that he hadn’t done anything wrong. Heaven forbid if one of them found out that he’d faked a cold to skip school in second grade!

***

All that time spent trying to assasinate Micah’s character, like finding a wrongdoing from his past would justify a grown man shooting an unarmed child. They talked and talked about the little things.Every single one of them ignoring the flaming elephant in the room. What no one was saying, but what they all knew to be true was simple. Micah’s crime, sweet boy that he was, was something he’d been born with _…the color of his skin_.

It made her sick to her stomach, but even without the jounalists, things on the other side were just as bad.

Priests, politicians, lawyers, all of them wanting to come see Micah. To be photographed with him, offering aid and support. And while it looked good on the outside, Nova( and the rest of the Bordelons) saw right through it. Every single one of them was trying to profit from Micah’s misfortune, acting like they cared when what they really wanted was to elevate themselves.

And through it all, the officer that’d shot her nephew had remained untouched. Safe behind a wall of blue.

The room she was headed to came into view and Nova smoothed all the rage from her features. Knocking once, she opened the door, and two pairs of eyes looked up at her. Charley’s face breaking into a soft fleeting smile, while Micah stared at her briefly before looking out the window.

Nova hadn’t seen him smile in a long time…she missed his smiles. Most of her stories had been on the flawed prison system in the country, and all the heartache it brought. Now she found herself wondering about all the police shootings that were always swept under the rug.

How many innocent people had lost _their smiles_ due to trigger happy police? And how many more victims would it take for justice to be served? It wasn’t right, hadn’t been for long time.

But unlike a lot of families, her nephew was still alive. Charley still had a son, and Nova was eternally grateful. She chose to focus on that blessing rather than the evils of the world.

“Hey,” She greeted,dropping a kiss on the top of Micah’s head and going to sit next to Charley.

“How was your day?” She asked, according to his schedule the main focus of the day was floor to chair transfers, but she still liked to hear it from him.

“Better than yesterday,”

 _Better_.

A wonderful word, a reminder that no matter how dark things got, light would surely come. Listening to Micah talk, the sentences short and clipped as they were, Nova hung on to that word. Taking Charley’s hand in hers, the two of them listened quietly as Micah told them about the parts of his day that had stood out to him.

Better…they’d get there eventually…all of them.


End file.
